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West Virginia officials are developing a reputation for knowing -- for a year or more -- that a deadline is coming and sitting on their hands until it is time to act stunned there might be consequences for inaction.
This time around, our state's child care facilities are anxiously awaiting news that another $23 million in funding for child care reimbursements will come their way, to meet the requirements of new federal rules that take effect Sept. 1. Some have decided already to shut down, rather than continue to be at the mercy of those in Charleston.
Lawmakers say this has nothing to do with them. Bills introduced in the House of Delegates during the last regular session were never taken up by the House Finance Committee and sent to the floor. Then lawmakers ended up having to pass a skinny budget (because, as readers will recall, of another impending deadline).
But that doesn't matter.
"I want to make it clear to everybody that there's not a need for fearmongering here; that (Department of Human Services) has access to exactly the funds," House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, said. "All they need to do is send a letter to the Legislature informing us that they've accessed it and the purpose for which they've accessed it... The notion that if we miss an August special session that all the child care facilities in West Virginia are going to close is just false."
Gov. Jim Justice is predictably vague on the matter, but wants Mountain State residents to know "We'll be absolutely sure that it is being addressed and it is being spent in the right way," whatever that means.
Meanwhile, the person perhaps best equipped to answer questions on the funding is once again choosing opacity. DoHS Cabinet Secretary Cynthia Persily simply won't talk. She refuses to answer questions from reporters representing multiple media outlets. She directs questions to her communications director, who in turn asks reporters to email their questions ... and then does not respond to the emails.
Why?
During a legislative special session in May, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1001, which, among other things, sent more than $183 million to the DoHS, with permission to transfer money from these new funds to other line items.
If Hanshaw is correct, what on earth is Persiliy waiting for? Why isn't the governor loudly and specifically demanding it?
The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce reports licensed early childhood education capacity is under 49% in 46 of the state's 55 counties. The situation will only worsen if reimbursement funding does not materialize. There's no need to wail and wonder why young people don't choose to stay in West Virginia to raise their families. Unless SOMEONE makes a move, bureaucrats and public officials will have once again proved they'd really rather they didn't.